Writer & Unabashed Dog Lover

All posts filed under: Books

“Agatha Christie on how her lack of education and childhood boredom led her to write…” Full article here. Austin Kleon, who I follow religiously, posted the article above up on Tumblr this week, based on a 1955 interview that Agatha Christie gave, and I recommend you check it out. Christie’s words got me to thinking about how different her childhood, and those of my generation were, compared to the ones of my own nieces and nephews and the other Millennials I am surrounded by on a regular basis. It’s difficult to find a child not engaged with a screen, be it watching cartoons or playing on their parent’s tablet or phone. We install tvs in our vehicles now to ‘ keep children busy’. Of course I had television as a child too, but I remember my parents giving us room for play without always being connected to a screen. Field trips to parks where we explored nature, and to museums for learning, and zoos and farms. I remember long car trips and out of sheer boredom, the yellow …

If you’ve read my past post on Gregory Maguire, then you know how much I adore all things Wicked. I am thrilled that Maguire is returning to his fairy tale roots (see also Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and Mirror Mirror) with his latest title, After Alice. William Morrow notified me that this title is slated for release on October 27th, and a signed, first edition can be pre-ordered from Porter Square Books, B&N and Books-a-Million. I don’t know about you but After Alice is going to be immediately going onto MY fall reading list. Are you excited about this title too? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Recently on Facebook I was challenged by a friend to complete a challenge of “10 Books That Have Stuck With You”. Well, that’s a long list, made longer by the fact that for most readers I think, 10 books isn’t going to be nearly enough! I thought it’d be fun to post my response. I challenge ALL OF YOU to post in comments with your top picks! I look forward to reading your responses. 🙂 1. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen Probably one of my earliest introductions to the power of a fairy tale mixed in a historical setting, this is the story of “Sleeping Beauty” set in the holocaust. Haunting. In the same vein… 2. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson Technically a short story, I fell in love with this story from the first time I read it. Beyond shock value, what makes this story awesome is how well it’s written: tight writing, suspense, and a growing sense of unease as you realize something is terribly wrong. Must-read. 3. The Anne of Green Gables …

In honor of last week’s loosely-based-on-Shakespeare title, I thought it’d be fun to link up to a quiz. This one’s hosted by PBS, who airs a lot of British stuff, and the Brits know Shakespeare. Which character will you get? Take the quiz and report back here. Which Shakespeare Character Are you? My Quiz Results: I am Rosalind! “And therefore look you call me Ganymede.” — AS YOU LIKE IT, ACT 1 SCENE 3

BuzzFeed is the source I love going to for geek quizzes and stuff (Mary Sue is a close second). For this week, I thought it’d be fun to share a link to their guidelines for embracing steampunk fashion. Buzzfeed’s 6 Rules of Steampunk Fashion What do you think of the steampunk aesthetic? Too wild? Too overdone? Been there, done that? Share your thoughts below and have fun this weekend.

I don’t always participate in The Broke and the Bookish’s Top 10 Challenge but this week’s challenge was too much fun to dismiss: Pick out 10 things that are related to books (but aren’t books) that you’d like to own. How fun is that? I’ll admit up front that I love shopping from indy artists, especially Etsy, so you’re going to find a ton of stuff on here is from Etsy, with links to purchase back to the artist’s Etsy store. That said, here’s my Top 10 for the week! 1. An original paper sculpture by Irving Harper Mr. Irving Harper works with paper as his medium and I think his sculptures of owls, architectural wonders and floor-to-ceiling sculptural columns. The photo is of a recent book released showing his sculptures. I encourage you to check out a copy and see the awesome stuff he’s doing. Oh, to be able to get frilly, pretty things … but where on earth would you display them? 2. A full weekend’s worth of Regency gowns and accoutrements …

A positively delightful look at young ladies misadventures abroad and the perplexed coppers who must try to wrangle these ladies into some sense of order after “late nights spouting Mozart arias in the streets” (a paraphrase). Although this is clearly satire, a part of me (that wishes that ladies still wore sprigged muslin and talked prettily) would love this to be real. Alas, this is one fashion that has not come around again. I’ll keep waiting.